Poland memory

Courtney 18 months old/ Poznan, Poland

 

 

 

 

A memory/ story by me, Nancy Sherwood.

 

I just read an article in the New York Times titled "where do you bury a Nazi?" It recounts a family moving into an old house in Poland and being told by previous owners and then an archeologist that there were likely human bones in their garden.

 

When we lived in Poznan, Poland from 1979-81, we lived in an old house. Many of the houses and buildings in Poznan at that time had bullet holes that came from machine guns- left from WWII. There was a lot of history there and it felt like there were still the ghosts of many people who had perished.

 

We had a large garden with about 12 apple trees (that had not been cared for) pear trees and walnut trees. In the spring we decided to dig up an area that looked like a good place to plant tomatoes and radishes. We found many bone fragments. We always felt that they were probably human- small like fingers or hands. 

 

It's been so long ago that I am, sure that the whole town has changed and the bullet holes have been patched. As if you can just erase their history.

 

I wonder whose bones they were and what stories they could have told.